Apparatus for equalizing the net contents of containers



April 16, 1957 G. D. FAULKNER APPARATUS FOR EQUALIZING THE NET CONTENTS OF CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 4, 1955 INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 16, 1957 e. D. FAULKNER APPARATUS FOR EQUALIZING THE NET CONTENTS OF CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1955 m wE INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 6, 1957 G. D. FAULKNER 2,788,808

APPARATUS FOR EQUALIZING THE NET CONTENTS OF CONTAINERS Filed March 4, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3 HQ 8 FIG 9 4 4 Qff/ "i EX l0- 6 H 6 -2 4 EHKQM 4 low 23 I I ia iii ;l.' q i j u h I I INVENTOR [km l J FMEM BY //g ATTORNEY United States Patent APPARATUS FOR EQUALIZING THE NET CONTENTS (3F CONTAINERS George D. Faulkner, Talbot County, Md.

Application March 4, 1955, Serial No. 492,195

2 Claims. (Cl. 141-121) My invention consists in a new and useful improvement in apparatus for equalizing the net contents of a plurality of containers and is designed more particularly to insure the precisely correct filling of cans of foodstufis. Under present stringent regulations packers are required to assure the proper filling of cans and under present practices, in order to comply with such requirement an enormous loss results by reason of waste. My improved method and apparatus satisfactorily meets the requirement for proper filling while completely avoiding waste. I have demonstrated by considerable experience that the operation of my improved apparatus in the practice of my improved method satisfactorily effects this desirable result.

The essential feature of my invention is the means which I provide for filling and overflowing a plurality of cans of equal capacity with liquid, displacing a determined amount of the liquid from each can, so that the net contents is precisely determined, accumulating the overfiowed and displaced liquid, and supplying the accumulated liquid to a plurality of unfilled cans.

While I have disclosed in the drawings and hereinafter fully describe one specific embodiment of my invention, as to my improved apparatus, it is to be distinctly understood that I do not consider my invention, as to my improved apparatus, to be limited to said specific embodiment but refer for its scope to the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the right hand side of my improved apparatus looking rearwardly.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the left hand side of my improved apparatus looking rearwardly.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan of the reservoir for supplying the liquid to the cans.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on the line 44 of Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of the displacement wheel.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan of the displacement wheel.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 77 of Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section of the line 88 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows, showing the can detent in inoperative position.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, showing the can detent in operative position.

As shown in the drawings, my improved apparatus has a frame with adjustable legs 1 carrying an open-top tank T from which rise brackets 2 carrying a link conveyor C rove about sprockets C-1 and C2 with suitable gearing C-3 for driving the conveyor C. It is to be understood that the upper run of the conveyor C travels in a horizontal plane and is adapted to convey the cans 3 from the filling machine M shown in broken lines, in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2. Two sets of side rails 4 serve to hold the cans 3 on the conveyor C.

Suitably mounted on one set of rails (Fig. 2) there is a reservoir 5 (Figs. 3 and 4) having an overflow lip 5-a so disposed as to supply the liquid from the reservoir 5 into the cans 3 on the conveyor C. A suitable shield 5b is mounted on the other set of rails 4 opposite the lip 5-a (Fig. 1). A suitable plastic hose 6 discharging into the reservoir 5 is connected to the outlet side of a pump 6a driven by any suitable means such as driving wheel 6b with belt 6-0. A pipe 6-11 connects the tank T with the intake side of the pump 6.

Suitably mounted on the bracket 2 at the discharge end of the apparatus there is a pair of posts 7, each having a slot 7-a therein. A shaft 7b is adjustably mounted by nuts 7-c, in the slots 7a. Suitable shields 7d are mounted inwardly of the posts '7 on either side of the conveyor C.

A wheel 8 is freely rotatable on the shaft 7 and is provided on its rim 8-a with a plurality of protuberances 9 (Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7). Each protuberance has sides 9-a disposed parallel with and slightly spaced inwardly from the outer edges of the rim Sa of the wheel 8. It has an end 9-b projecting outwardly, substantially perpendicularly from the rim 8-11 and an end 9-0 curving outwardly from the rim 8-11.

It is to be particularly noted (Pig. 1) that the wheel 8 is so mounted that as it rotates (clockwise as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1) and the cans 3 move from right to left (as indicated by the arrow in Fig. l) the end 942 of each protuberance 9 is the leading edge entering a can 3 and that the end 9-c is the following edge leaving the can 3.

As clearly shown in Fig. 6, the protuberance 3' is properly dimensioned to fit nicely into the can 3. It is to be particiularly understood that the protuberance 9 is designed to displace a determined quantity of liquid from the can 3 when inserted therein. It is obvious that a plurality of wheels 8 are to be available to provide protuberances 9 properly dimensioned according to the sizes of the cans 3.

In Figs. 8 and 9, a can detent 10 is shown. The detent 19 is suitably pivoted on one of the rails 4 and provided with a lever Ill-a to which is attached a spring 16-42 adjustably tensioned by a bolt Ill-c carried by post 7.

Having described the details of construction of my improved apparatus, I will now describe its use and operation in the practice of my improved method.

The tank T having been charged with sufiicient liquid to permit the pump 6-a to operate, the reservoir 5 is filled by the pump 6-12 with liquid so that the liquid overflows across the lip 5-a and pours back into the tank T, thereby providing a liquid circuit through tank T, pipe 6-d, pump 6-a, pipe 6 and reservoir 5. The cans 3 are discharged from the filling machine M onto the conveyor C and as they are forwarded by the conveyor C past the reservoir 5 they are filled by the liquid flowing over the lip 5-a and overflowing the filled cans 3. The leading can 3 is then disposed, by the operator, so that the lowest protuberance 9 on the wheel 8 is disposed in the open top of the can 3 thereby displacing the precise amount of the liquid from the can 3. As the cans 3 are forwarded by the conveyor C their movement under the wheel 8 causes the wheel 8 to rotate thereby inserting the protuberances 9 successively into the cans 3, respectively, causing displacement of the precise amount of liquid from each can 3.

Should the feeding of cans 3 be interrupted by stoppage of the filling machine M, the cans 3 already delivered to the conveyor C will continue to move under the wheel 8 until there are only two cans 3 on the conveyor C. The can detent it which has been held in inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 8, by passage of the cans 3 is then drawn into operative position by action of the spring 10- b thereby holding the last two cans 3 in such position that the leading can 3 is under the wheel 8 with one of its protuberances 9 therein.

It is to be understood that the foregoing operation is due to the ce-action of the conveyor C and the detent it}, viz. when the conveyor is charged with more than two cans 3 their combined weight on the conveyor C causes them to move with the conveyor C and pass the defeat '19. However, when there are only two cans 3 on the cans 3 carried by the conveyor C move up to the two immobile cans 3 and the conveyor C resumes its feed of all the cans thereon. 7

By this means, it is not necessary for the operator to insert a'can 3 beneath the wheel 8 when the filling machine M is stopped.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for equalizing the net contents of a plurality of containers of equal capacity, thte combination of a frame; a rectilinear conveyor for the containers, on said frame; a tank on said frame below said conveyor; a reservoir on said frame having an overflow lip above said conveyor; means adapted to draw liquid from the tank, into said reservoir to discharge over said lip and pass through said conveyor to return to the tank, said liquid simultaneously filling and overflowing a plurality of the containers on the'conveyor; and a freely rotating Wheel journaled on the frame above said conveyor, on an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor provided on its rim with a plurality of protuberances, said wheel being so related to said conveyor that the filled containers conveyed under said wheel rotate said wheel to insert said protuberances into the containers, respectively, and each of said protuberances being so dimensioned as to displace a determined amount or" liquid from the container into which it is inserted;

2. Apparatus, according to claiml, provided with a detent biased by' an adjustable spring and adapted to immobilize a container under said wheel with one of said protuberances in the container when a determined number of containers are on said conveyor in accordance with the adjustment of said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,963,132 Hicks June 19, 1934 2,071,005 Urschell -t Feb. 16, 1937 2,289,852 Mondloch T July 14,- 1942 2,630,952 Barnby Mar. 10, 1953 

